Despite terror alerts, more and more Israelis choose to spend holidays in peninsula. Increase of 45% in number of Israeli visitors registered in July

Danny Sadeh|Published: 07.09.07 , 10:07

Officials in the tourism industry estimate that at least 20,000 Israelis will visit Sinai during the holidays, despite warnings issued by the Counter-Terrorism Bureau regarding the fragile security situation in the peninsula.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics 118,600 Israelis crossed into the peninsula in the first seven months of 2007, an increase of 13% in comparison to the same period last year.

In last July alone, 35,200 Israelis traveled to the region's sandy beaches, an increase of almost 45% compared to July 2006. A similar rise was registered in August.

Itzik Chai, director of the Taba border crossing, reported of heavy traffic of visitors at the place, both Israelis and tourists.